


Saying Goodbye

by thesalukihusker



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 08:40:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20432771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesalukihusker/pseuds/thesalukihusker
Summary: Nancy prepares to say goodbye to her best friend.





	Saying Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> Missing scene fic for 2x09. After the news breaks about Hawkins Lab, Nancy prepares to say goodbye to Barb, and Jonathan is there for her. I don't own Jancy, I just ship them.

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry we couldn't save her._

Two days after the news breaks about Hawkins Lab, Nancy finds herself in the Hollands' living room. She knew this day was coming, but Nancy's tried to not think about it. Just a few days ago, she was with the Byers, exorcising a monster from Will. They saved him. But now, the feeling that she couldn't save Barb is overwhelming.

Barb. Her best friend since elementary school. They went everywhere together. They told each other everything. Nancy hoped she and Barb would go to college together, be roommates, experience all the ups and downs of young adult life together. And then one night changed it all.

Nancy and Jonathan should be celebrating. They "hit them where it hurts," as Murray described it. They got the justice they were seeking. But right now, that's little consolation to Nancy.

She's sitting on the floor next to Marsha Holland, thumbing through photo albums, reminiscing. That time they went to the Sears Tower. Their school field trip to Indianapolis. Best friends getting ready for the Snow Ball. Their first day of high school.

_I'm so sorry_, she tells Mrs. Holland. They're crying again, comforting each other, trying to hold on to all the good memories. Nancy thinks she's never cried so much as she has the past two days. _I miss her so much. _

Nancy comes home early in the evening. She curls up in a ball on her bed, hugging a pillow. Tomorrow, she'll say goodbye. Nancy wishes she could tell the Hollands what really happened.

###

A nightmare wakes Nancy up about two hours later. _Barb was screaming, calling out for help. The monster was choking her._ Nancy's chest feels tight, her breathing quick.

"I've got you."

Nancy feels familiar fingers in her hair. Jonathan. He called, knowing Nancy was visiting the Hollands today. He offered to go with her._ I need to do this part alone_, she told him. Karen told him that Nancy had been in her room all evening since she got home. He came right over.

He won't ask her how she's feeling; he knows it's the same emptiness he felt last year, when they thought Will was gone. Instead, Jonathan pulls her in to a hug, kissing her temples, stroking her hair. "I've got you, Nance. I'm here for you."

"Jonathan. Oh my god. I saw her. She was screaming for help. She was screaming and there was nothing I could do." Nancy sobs in to his shoulder. "She needed me. She needed my help and I wasn't there for her."

He holds Nancy closer, talking softly to her. "You were her best friend. I know you would've done anything for her. And I know it probably doesn't feel like it right now, but you got justice for her. I didn't know her well, but I know how much she meant to you."

Nancy moves away from Jonathan; she wants to lie back down. He tucks her in, rubs her back. "Thank you, Jonathan. Thank you for being here for me," Nancy tells him, barely awake.

"I'll always be here for you."

###

It's a cold, but sunny, morning for Barb's graveside service. Nancy is standing next to Mrs. Holland, her eyes glancing at the photo of Barb, and then to the grave site. In her mind, Nancy is replaying the last conversation she had with Barb. She's crying again.

After the service, Jonathan shakes the Hollands' hands, passes along his condolences. Nancy places a flower on Barb's casket, and closes her eyes. _It's unfair,_ she thinks, _that the universe can be so cruel to such good people_. Jonathan comes up behind her, putting his hands on Nancy's shoulders, leaning in to her.

###

Nancy is standing at her dresser, looking at the photos of Barb she's accumulated over the years. She thinks about one of the last things Barb said to her: _this isn't you_. Barb was right. Nancy thinks about everything that's happened since then, how that stuck in her mind.

She and Jonathan will celebrate the Hawkins Lab news soon.


End file.
